Grantham rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Grantham rail accident occurred on 19 September 1906. An evening sleeping-car and mail train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley
hauled by Ivatt 'Atlantic'
No 276 derailed
, killing 14. The accident occurred in mysterious circumstances; the train ran right through Grantham station
, where it was scheduled to stop, and derailed on a sharp curve at the end of the platform; no definite cause was ever established. Rolt (1956) described it as "the railway equivalent of the Marie Celeste".
Many possible explanations were put forward, such as the driver going mad, being drunk, taken ill or having a fight with the fireman. However, the clear evidence of the signalman at Grantham was that he had seen both men standing looking forward through the cab front windows, apparently calmly. The platform staff were sure that the brakes on the train were not applied. One possibility is that the driver had a seizure or "micro-sleep" and the inexperienced fireman did not realise until too late. Another, proposed in 2006 in the Railway Magazine, is a brake failure due to incorrect procedures when the engine was changed at the previous stop, Peterborough
. The fireman was a trainee "Premium Apprentice" and might not have realised the importance of ensuring that the train brakes were working when reconnected.
This was the second of three high-speed night derailments inside a year, the others being at Salisbury
(1906) and Shrewsbury
(1907). Although the results were the same, the causes appear to be different.
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
hauled by Ivatt 'Atlantic'
GNR Class C1
The Great Northern Railway Class C1 is a type of 4-4-2 steam locomotive. One, ex GNR 251, later LNER 2800, survives in preservation.- Development :...
No 276 derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
, killing 14. The accident occurred in mysterious circumstances; the train ran right through Grantham station
Grantham railway station
Grantham railway station serves the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross.-Description:Junctions near the town also connect to branches to Nottingham, and to Sleaford and Skegness...
, where it was scheduled to stop, and derailed on a sharp curve at the end of the platform; no definite cause was ever established. Rolt (1956) described it as "the railway equivalent of the Marie Celeste".
Many possible explanations were put forward, such as the driver going mad, being drunk, taken ill or having a fight with the fireman. However, the clear evidence of the signalman at Grantham was that he had seen both men standing looking forward through the cab front windows, apparently calmly. The platform staff were sure that the brakes on the train were not applied. One possibility is that the driver had a seizure or "micro-sleep" and the inexperienced fireman did not realise until too late. Another, proposed in 2006 in the Railway Magazine, is a brake failure due to incorrect procedures when the engine was changed at the previous stop, Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. The fireman was a trainee "Premium Apprentice" and might not have realised the importance of ensuring that the train brakes were working when reconnected.
This was the second of three high-speed night derailments inside a year, the others being at Salisbury
Salisbury rail crash
In the Salisbury rail crash of 1 July 1906, a London and South Western Railway boat train from Plymouth's Friary railway station to London Waterloo station failed to navigate a very sharp curve at the eastern end of Salisbury railway station. The curve had a speed limit of 30 mph, but the express...
(1906) and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury rail accident
The Shrewsbury rail accident occurred on 15 October 1907. An overnight sleeping-car and mail train from Manchester to the West of England derailed on the sharply curved approach to Shrewsbury station, killing 18. Speed was estimated at 60 mph on a curve limited to 10...
(1907). Although the results were the same, the causes appear to be different.